"Every woman will welcome UCC": Meenakshi Lekhi on Uniform Civil Code Bill tabled in Uttarakhand Assembly

New Delhi [India], February 6 : Welcoming the introduction of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly, Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi said every woman in the country would welcome it.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami tabled the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) bill in the Uttarakhand Assembly on Tuesday after which the House was adjourned.
"I welcome it. I think every woman in the country will welcome it. Women of this country do deserve equality and women of this country do deserve justice," Lekhi said addressing a press conference here.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also congratulated the Uttarakhand government and CM for bringing the UCC.
"BJP promised to abrogate Article 370, it was done. BJP promised to make a temple for Ram Lalla, and it was done. BJP has promised the UCC, I am sure all issues connected with the ideology of the BJP will go further... There will be one law for everyone... There are 4 castes in this country, poor, farmers, youth and women. The political future of those who think otherwise is in danger," he added.
Meanwhile, Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque said that the bill brought by the Uttarakhand government is to "polarise but it is not possible (to implement it)."
AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam said that the government by implementing UCC want to deprive them of their rights social, legal and other religious rights.
"I can't understand what is their purpose because if they are going to implement UCC then why does the Uttarakhand government exempt the Adivasis, and Dalits from this Act? If Adivasis and Dalits are not included under this law then how is it going to be universalised?... By implementing UCC, they want to deprive them of their rights social rights, legal rights and other religious rights...We oppose the UCC bill," Islam said.
Executive Member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali said that there was no need for any such Uniform Civil Code.
The Bill contains the laws relating to marriage, divorce, succession, live-in relationships, and related matters.
Among the many proposals, the Uniform Civil Code Bill makes it compulsory for live-in relationships to be registered under the law.
Once the proposed UCC Bill is in place, "live-in relationships" will have to get registered under the law within 1 month from the "date of entering into the relationship". To live in a live-in relationship, adults will have to obtain consent from their parents.
The Bill also imposes a complete ban on child marriage and introduces a uniform process for divorce. The Code provides equal rights to women of all religions in their ancestral property.
As per the UCC Bill, the age for marriage will be 18 for women and 21 for men in all communities. Marriage registration is mandatory in all religions and marriages without registration will be invalid.
No divorce petition will be allowed to be filed for one year of marriage.
Highlighting the ceremonies for marriage, the proposed UCC Bill noted that marriage may be solemnized or contracted between a man and a woman in accordance with the religious beliefs, practices, customary rites and ceremonies including but not limited to "Saptapadt", "Ashirvad", "Nikah", "Holy Union", "Anand Karaj" under the Anand Marriage Act 1909 as well as under, but not limited to, The Special Marriage Act, 1954 and Arya Marriage Validation Act, 1937.
However, nothing contained in the proposed UCC Bill will be applied to the members of any Scheduled Tribes within the meaning of clause (25) of Article 366 read with Article 342 of the Constitution of India and the persons and group of persons whose customary rights are protected under Part XXI of the Constitution of India.
Meanwhile, CM Dhami said that after the UCC Bill is passed, Uttarakhand will become a strong pillar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of "One India, Best India".
"With full responsibility, our government, taking all sections of the society along, has presented the Uniform Civil Code Bill in the Assembly. That historic moment is near for Devbhoomi when Uttarakhand will become a strong pillar of PM Modi ji's vision of One India, Best India," Dhami posted on X.
The passage of the UCC Bill will mark the fulfilment of a major promise made by the BJP to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls.
In March 2022, the Dhami government decided to constitute a committee to prepare a draft for the UCC.